BAY ROBERTS, NL — The Town of Bay Roberts is going to take another crack at convincing the local ambulance service operator to station a vehicle in the community.
Ambulance service to the town came up at Tuesday's council meeting in response to an email from a resident. Earlier this month, an ambulance was called to the soccer field in Bay Roberts, where a child was injured.
According to the person writing the letter, the ambulance took too long to respond. The resident was also surprised the ambulance operator needed directions to get to the field.
"It is not an issue that we think about until we require it, or as I did (that day), witness it," the resident wrote in the email, which was sent directly to Mayor Philip Wood.
Coun. Dean Franey brought up the same issue in council in the spring of 2016. Moore's Ambulance Service has ambulances and staff stationed in Clarke's Beach, but not in Bay Roberts. Franey suggested at that time the town request a meeting with the ambulance service operator. Bay Roberts is the most populous community in Conception Bay North with over 6,000 residents.
"They explained their position, and we didn't get much traction out of it," said Franey. "I know in the letter (from the resident) it's asked, 'Are we getting the service that we should?' Personally, I think we're not getting the service Bay Roberts probably deserves, but we're given the service that we are required to get."
Franey, a volunteer firefighter, hopes to set up another meeting with Moore's Ambulance Service. Coun. Silas Badcock from the emergency services committee will likely join him at the meeting. Like Franey, he's also a member of the fire department.
Clarke's Beach is a relatively short distance from the west end of Bay Roberts, though response times would increase for calls coming from further into the town.
"Clarke's Beach to the east end of Bay Roberts is a clever jaunt," Franey noted.
Wood said the town has offered space in the local fire hall to accommodate a Moore's vehicle. According to Franey, the main need to be met for a parked ambulance is a power source.
